


Deployment

by Mareel



Series: Always [66]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Birthday, Birthday Presents, Destroy Ending, F/M, Family, M/M, Memories, Post Mass Effect 3, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-06-19
Packaged: 2018-07-16 02:30:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7248487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mareel/pseuds/Mareel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some birthdays are worth remembering.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Deployment

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place approximately 5 years after the end of the Reaper War. John and Kaidan are at their home near Vancouver. It is Kaidan's voice. 
> 
> Posted in honor of Father's Day.

 

"Hey Shepard! You've got a birthday coming up in a few hours."

"Don't remind me. I don't need any more evidence of how old I'm getting to be."

"I hear you. Not sure when it happened... when did the excitement of having a birthday fade into indifference and then turn into active dislike for the whole thing?"

"You must have had some good birthdays as a kid, Kaidan. Seems like your mom would always be making cakes or cupcakes or something. Did you have birthday parties?"

I shake my head. "Not really. Not the kinds with clowns or ponies and a yard full of kids. I never had many close friends. But yeah, Mom always made a big deal about birthdays - cake and ice cream... candles, the whole thing. Mostly just family though - Aunt Lea and my cousin Isla, some other cousins from my father's family. I've seen photos of one of those where my grandmother was there - Dad's mom. She was pretty old and I don't remember her very well."

Shepard settles more deeply into the cushions of the couch, propping his legs up on the ottoman next to mine. "Anyone from Elena's family? Or were they all living in Singapore?"

"Singapore, Malaysia... Australia. Mom's father was from Brisbane. She grew up in Australia until she moved to Singapore to take an orchestra position. It gave her a chance to get to know her mother's family there. We didn't see much of them in BC. Maybe once or twice. Long trip, I guess."

"Still it sounds pretty good. You had family around, at least, to celebrate with."

"Yeah. But there was one year... I guess I must have been maybe six or seven years old. School age, anyway."

He shifts his good leg to wrap around mine, rubbing his foot against my ankle. "What was different about it?"

"My dad wasn't there."

Shepard sits up a little and turns his head to meet my eyes. "Deployment?"

"Yes... though I didn't really know what the word meant. He was in the Reserve and usually that meant a few weekends and two or three weeks a year he'd go to Vancouver for duty. This was different."

I can see John doing the math in his head. "About the time of Shanxi?"

He reaches for my hand, wrapping it in his. It feels like something I'd do when he talked about the hard times. "Yeah. I know that now. At the time I just knew that he and the other soldiers were needed to help keep everybody safe. Before he left, he told me not to worry - he should be fine. He wasn't going away from Earth and probably he'd mostly get to practice flying a lot. I knew he liked to fly. Once he took me up with him to show me our house from the air."

"Sounds like you were still worried for him."

"I guess so. I don't know. I really didn't know much about the war – it was far from our little town, far from Earth even. And Mom didn't make a habit of watching the newsfeeds when I was around."

John rubs his fingers across mine, almost absently as he pieced things together. "Elena never watched news of the Reaper war either. She probably didn't watch then even if you weren't there to see it. But you heard about it?"

It's surprising how clear the memory is, considering how young I was. "Yeah. Kids at school talking about it. They probably had only a vague idea about it, but I picked up on a few of the words. Went home and asked Mom about it. 'What's a Turan?' and 'Is Earth going to be invaded by aliens?' I might not have watched the news, but I knew about alien invasions from Saturday morning cartoons."

"I guess that would just about cover the major points. Can't blame kids for talking about what they see and hear on the news. Hope your mom could reassure you."

"She was good. Told me that yes, the _Turians_ were unhappy with humans living on a colony far from Earth, but she didn't think they were likely to come here. But the soldiers, like Dad, would be ready to protect everyone no matter what. That was doing their jobs."

John reaches to pull me closer, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. "Sounds like she had good answers, appropriate for a kid your age."

"She was trying to tell me not to worry without lying to me. She's like that. I remember asking her if these Turians were bad people. I was probably thinking about cartoon villains."

"Let me guess, she said no."

"You're right... she said they shouldn't fight with the colonists, but no, they weren't inherently bad people just because they weren't human."

He draws my head down against his shoulder. "See, you picked up your non-xenophobic attitude pretty young. I'm sure some of the kids you went to school with had other opinions."

"I don't think I gave it a lot more thought. I was mostly worried that Dad wouldn't be home for my birthday. I asked Mom about that."

"Sounds like you were pretty close to your dad."

"I was... kind of idolized him I guess. Wanted to be like him. Followed him around the orchard... but couldn't be part of the soldier thing he did. Mom told me he probably wouldn't make the party this year, but maybe he'd send a message and a present."

"Or call maybe? I guess that would depend on where he was deployed. Was he on Earth?"

I nod against his shoulder. "As far as I know, yes, but I guess he wasn't able to call. It had a small party - just Mom and Aunt Lea and Isla and me. And a girl I went to school with who lived near us. Isla was just a toddler though. And Dad didn't call but Mom had a package for me from him."

"That's good. What was it?"

I can't help smiling at the memory. "A lot of things. My first omnitool. Just a kid's model, but it wasn't a toy. He'd loaded it with my favorite music... mostly songs from Disney movies and cartoons, but a couple recordings of Mom playing the cello. There were books to read too, and a children’s encyclopedia about plants and animals in British Columbia. I was always asking questions about things like that when we went on walks or took camping trips."

"Sounds like a good present."

"The best part wasn't any of that. After everyone went home, Mom showed me how to use the message part of the omni-tool. There was a vid-message from Dad."

John has been resting his cheek on my head and drops a kiss into my hair. "That sounds important."

"It was. Mom left me alone to watch it. He was wearing his uniform and he told me he was sorry to miss my birthday, but that he missed Mom and me more than any party. He talked to me like I was older than I really was, not like he was talking to a little kid. Said he was doing the job he was trained to do... to protect the people he cared about... to serve. He used those words... _to serve_. I guess it made an impression."

John's voice is quiet. "It would. And I'm pretty sure it did."

I slip my arm around his waist and burrow against his chest. "I didn't even know what it meant, really – just that it sounded important to him. I wish you could have known him."

He just holds me close for a few minutes. "I kind of feel like I do. Sounds a lot like you."

"Maybe..."

"Kaidan?" His voice is a throaty whisper. "I think I'll have that birthday after all..."

I let my hand slide down his chest and come to rest in his lap, feeling an interest that mirrors mine. "I think we can do some celebrating. And I know I have a gift for you..."

He rocks his hips, pressing against my hand. "The best kind..."

_____________________________

 


End file.
